BACKGROUND Impairment of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) could result in secondary cerebral edema and life-threatening pancreatic encephalopathy in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely adopted in clinical research because of their pleiotropic functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of MSCs on BBB permeability in SAP and the potential mechanisms driving these effects. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the control, SAP and SAP+MSCs groups. Pancreatic impairment was assessed. The serum levels of amylase, TNF-α and IL-10, expression levels of claudin-5, Bax, Bcl-2 and MMP-9, and the BBB permeability were measured. Endothelial cell apoptosis was evaluated. RESULTS SAP rats showed BBB impairment with increased permeability and secondary cerebral edema, which was confirmed using the Evans blue assay and the calculation of the brain dry/wet ratio. Treatment with MSCs decreased the serum levels of amylase and TNF-α, increased the serum levels of IL-10, attenuated the apoptosis of brain microvascular endothelial cells, upregulated claudin-5 expression and downregulated MMP-9 expression. This treatment attenuated the increased BBB permeability in SAP rats. CONCLUSIONS MSCs attenuated the impairment of the BBB and decreased its permeability, producing protective effects in SAP rats.

中文翻译：

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间充质干细胞降低严重急性胰腺炎大鼠的血脑屏障通透性。

背景血脑屏障（BBB）受损可能导致重症急性胰腺炎（SAP）患者继发性脑水肿和危及生命的胰腺性脑病。间充质干细胞 (MSCs) 因其多效性而被广泛应用于临床研究。本研究的目的是研究 MSCs 对 SAP 中 BBB 通透性的影响以及驱动这些影响的潜在机制。方法将Sprague-Dawley大鼠随机分配到对照组、SAP组和SAP+MSCs组。评估了胰腺损伤。测定血清淀粉酶、TNF-α、IL-10水平，claudin-5、Bax、Bcl-2、MMP-9表达水平，血脑屏障通透性。评估内皮细胞凋亡。结果 SAP 大鼠显示 BBB 受损，通透性增加和继发性脑水肿，使用埃文斯蓝测定和脑干/湿比的计算证实了这一点。MSCs治疗降低了血清淀粉酶和TNF-α的水平，增加了血清IL-10的水平，减弱了脑微血管内皮细胞的凋亡，上调了claudin-5的表达，下调了MMP-9的表达。这种治疗减弱了 SAP 大鼠中增加的 BBB 通透性。结论 MSCs减轻了BBB的损伤并降低了其通透性，对SAP大鼠产生了保护作用。上调 claudin-5 表达和下调 MMP-9 表达。这种治疗减弱了 SAP 大鼠中增加的 BBB 通透性。结论 MSCs减轻了BBB的损伤并降低了其通透性，对SAP大鼠产生了保护作用。上调 claudin-5 表达和下调 MMP-9 表达。这种治疗减弱了 SAP 大鼠中增加的 BBB 通透性。结论 MSCs减轻了BBB的损伤并降低了其通透性，对SAP大鼠产生了保护作用。